The New York Cafe

The New York Cafe was located in the heart of downtown Charlotte for over 50 years. It opened in 1906 and ran through the mid-1960's. Originally located at 127 West Trade St, it moved to 319 East Trade St at some point during the '50's. They appear to have offered everything one could want (Kraut juice anyone?). The above menu is from the 1940's.

The Ming Tree Restaurant

Playing card storage box cover

Playing cards with storage box

1959 ad

The Ming Tree Restaurant was located on Providence Rd in Myers Park (the Mecklenburg Furniture building currently sits on this site). It opened in the early-1950's and ran through the mid-1960's. The Ming Tree was popular for its take-out service (even though you were required to climb a steep set of outdoor stairs to the take-out window) and for their signature over-sized almond dessert cookies. The Ming Tree raised the bar on all subsequent Chinese restaurants with its fancy location and decor. The Ming Tree closed after a massive fire destroyed the building. Arson was the cause and the owner was suspect because of large gambling debts.

Amber House ***CLOSED***

I received this email today--

"Thank you so much for the review! Sadly, tonight, November 28, 2009, is the last night that the Amber House will be open for business. We will continue to do the catering, but the restaurant will be closed to the public. Thank you for 52 wonderful years! We owe our success to our customers! "

Sadly after today, The Amber House is another legendary Charlotte restaurant that can be added to the "closed" list. Thank you Amber House for serving North Charlotte for the past 52 years. You will be missed!

Please check out the original Amber House post here.

Charlotte sandwich shops 1976

An interesting look at the Charlotte deli scene from 1976. Of all the places mentioned, 33 years later only two still remain (Arthur's and Leo's). Please post if you have any memories of any of these eateries.

Dilworth Brewing Company

1992 menu

Currently occupied by Picasso's -this shot taken shortly after the Brewery left (note the Brewery's yellow awnings)

Charlotte's first Brew Pub opened on March 1, 1989 in the Dilworth neighborhood on the corner of East Blvd and Kenilworth Avenue. It occupied the building that had previously been the home of the Kenilworth Cafe (which had closed in 1986). Several other brew pubs would open across the Charlotte shortly after (mirroring the national trend), but none would prove to be as popular as the Dilworth Brewing Company. Their popularity would eventually take them downtown where, in February 1993, Jonathan's Jazz Cellar began serving the Dilworth's brews from their taps as well.

The Dilworth Brewing Company would run for almost 10 years, closing in the Summer of 1998 due to a lack of space and parking. A new location was planned but never materialized. In the meantime, the brew pub trend had peaked in Charlotte, and the remaining pubs slowly began to close.

This review from 1996 provides a good overview of the pub-

Sitting in a quiet Charlotte neighborhood south of downtown lies Dilworth Brewing. The stainless steel 7 bbl J.V. Northwest brewhouse is visible from the street as well as the dining and bar areas. Fans hang from the high ceiling and the wall behind the small J-shaped bar sports the glasses of the mug club. Four TVs without sound and a CD sound system help create a comfortable ambiance for diners and drinkers seated at the two dozen wooden tables and chairs. The one medium-sized room is well-lit and the walls feature beer memorabilia and a large mural depicting beer and women in an idyllic setting. German beer coasters and 5 liter beer cans also adorn the walls. The menu offered traditional pub fare consisting of Soups, Salads, Appetizers, Sandwiches, Pasta, Chicken, and Desserts.

The Albemarle Ale was a gold color with a medium body, even balance and a clean light malty and hoppy flavor, and finished cleanly. The Reed's Golden Pilsner was a light gold color, with a distracting DMS aroma, unfortunately the light body and accompanying light hop flavor were negatively affected by the DMS off-flavor. The Latta Light was a very clear gold color with a light body and mild hoppy, slightly sweet malty flavor and light hoppy finish. The Joe's Porter had a dark malty aroma with a creamy mouthfeel, even balance, slightly sweet malty flavor and clean finish. The Brewmasters Special was the East Blvd. ESB. It offered a hoppy aroma, dark amber color, medium body, malty sweet flavor with moderate hop presence and a clean hoppy finish.

Wednesdays through Saturdays you'll find live entertainment but you'll find attractive prices all of the time. Remember, no Sunday sales in North Carolina before noon. Externally bottled Albemarle Ale six-packs are $6.75, 10 ounce glasses $1.50, pints $2.75, 2 ounce samples 75¢, 1 gallon cubes $12.50, 5 gallon jugs $40, and half-barrel kegs $93. Dilworth Brewing seems like a great neighborhood bar in spite of its distant parking lot. All neighborhoods would benefit from their own brewpub such as this.

Angus Steak House

Above two pictures from October 28, 1969

1967 menu

The Angus Steak House was located at 3637 South Boulevard (next door to the South 21 Drive-In) and was owned by Honey Enterprises (famous for their Honey Drive-Ins). The Angus opened in the 1950's and ran until the mid-70's. It prospered during the era of legendary charcoal steakhouses that were popular all around Charlotte.

The property was sold in the 1990's and is currently occupied by an AutoZone.

***Much thanks to David Bedinger who graciously supplied the photos as well crucial information for this post.***

"Under New Management" #5 - South Blvd. *QUIZ*

There is a 1.5 mile stretch of South Blvd (running from just South of Archdale until just North of Tyvola) that boasts a surprising number of "Under New Management" buildings. These are buildings that were originally built by a restaurant chain and though the buildings have changed owners, the architecture design easily gives away who the original tenant was (i.e. Pizza Hut's trapezoidal windows, Wendy's roof line). Check out the pictures and see if you can guess who the original restaurant inhabitant was---answers are at the bottom of the page. Let me know how many you get correct!

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

#11

#1 - Originally a Burger King - now a car dealership

#2 - Originally a KFC - was most recently a Mexican bakery

#3 - Originally a Kenny Roger's Roaster - now a Mexican restaurant

#4 - Originally a Baskin-Robbins - now an insurance agency

#5 - Originally a McDonald's - now a barbecue restaurant

#6 - Originally a Wendy's - now a Hispanic restaurant

#7 - Originally a Dunkin' Donuts (70's-style) - now a diner

#8 - Originally a Shakey's Pizza - now a pawn shop

#9 - Originally a Perkin's - now Piedmont Family Restaurant

#10 - Originally a Pizza Hut - now a Chinese restaurant

#11 - Originally a Schlotzsky's Deli - now a Dunkin' Donuts

Tanner's Returns!!!

Tanner's Snack Bar has returned to Charlotte! The original family that ran the downtown Tanner's has opened a new location on South Blvd at the edge of Southend. They had opened a location on Old Pineville Rd about seven years ago but this location closed shortly after due to poor visibility and traffic flow. Being on a major roadway will hopefully spell success this tine around. 

More pictures coming soon!

Revisions!!!

Today is a sad day in Charlotte restaurant history--the reducing to rubble of the Copal Grill. Please click below for an update which includes photos and a video of today's demolition.

The Copal Grill

Thanks to Margaret DeStefani, we have amazing items from Slug's and the Barclay Cafeteria for everyone to enjoy. Please click below to view this update:

Slug's/Barclay Cafeteria

Staley's Charcoal Steak House

Mid-60's interior shot

1978 menu

1975 ad

Above matchbooks courtesy of Robert McEwen

In the 1960's, Charlotte's hottest restaurant trend was charcoal steakhouses. Most of them were located in a one mile radius along West Morehead St and Wilkinson Blvd. Steak was in demand and charcoal-cooking was the preferred method.

One of the best of all of the charcoal steakhouses was Staley's on Wilkinson Blvd. It opened in the early-60's and ran until the mid-80's. They featured a "charcoal room" where the steaks were cooked, had nightly entertainment, and offered a dining room which featured red leather seating (the steakhouse look of the time). Staley's was so popular, they eventually opened a second, more formal (less steak-oriented) restaurant/lounge on Clanton Rd.

By the late-70's, these steakhouses were waning in popularity and most were all gone by the early-80's. Today, only two still exist in Charlotte.